Neolithic Calder Stones return to Liverpool Park

Ancient monoliths preserved for future
generations in a new home at the heart of Calderstones Park

The Calder Stones, which are among the UK’s
oldest and most significant monuments, have today returned to the North West
following specialist conservation work in London. Overseen by national charity,
The Reader, the Stones are now set to be installed in a purpose-built heritage
facility that will open to the public in summer.

The new heritage centre is being developed as
part of an extensive refurbishment project to bring the Mansion House in
Calderstones Park back to life, thanks to the support of several funders.
including a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of just under £1.9million.
When it opens its doors later this year, The Reader Mansion House will be a
place where people from all walks of life can find connection through
literature, heritage, art, wellbeing activities, food and fun.

The Stones’ new home will evoke the tomb they
were once part of and protect them from the elements. The carefully designed
space will be accessible to the public seven days a week and give visitors of
all ages an opportunity to see the Stones up close and learn about their history
and conservation.

At around 5000 years old, a similar age
to Stonehenge, the Calder Stones provide evidence of the earliest known permanent
settlement in the area. Originally part of a megalithic tomb, their recent
history has involved a number of moves.

In 1845, they were arranged in a stone
circle by Joseph Need Walker, the then-Calderstones estate owner, in 1954 they
were moved from the Park’s entrance on Menlove Avenue to protect them from
weathering and vandalism and in 1964 they were placed in the Harthill Vestibule
greenhouse, which unfortunately accelerated their deterioration due to the rapid
changes in temperature and humidity. Their removal last September and today’s
reinstallation was carried out by experts Orbis Conservation with the full
permission and oversight of Historic England and with Scheduled Ancient Monument Consent.

The Reader’s Calderstones and Heritage
Development Manager, George Hawkins said: “We’re thrilled to welcome the Calder
Stones back home and we can’t wait for our visitors see them in all their
glory. Across the country our Shared Reading groups create lively, connected communities
by bringing people together and books to life. In the same way, the Calder Stones
have brought people together throughout the ages and we’re excited to be able
to share their story and protect them for future generations.”

Nathan Lee, Head of the National
Lottery Heritage Fund North West, said: “We’re excited to see this stage of the
National Lottery Heritage Fund restoration project at Calderstones Park
complete, and the Stones moved back to their original position. We know this is
an important milestone for the many community volunteers that have been
involved in the project so far, and look forward to the many events to come as
the Mansion House is also restored to its former glory.”

North West residents who are interested
in finding out more about volunteering opportunities at The Reader at Calderstones
when it opens later this year are invited to attend volunteer information events
on Wednesday 13 and Saturday 16 March from 2.30pm to 4pm at The Reader Ice
Cream Parlour in Calderstones Park.

For more information and details of the
roles including heritage guide and DIY and arts and wellbeing volunteers visit www.thereader.org.uk/events or call 0151 729 2200.

Thank you for expressing an interest in volunteering with The Reader. Your details have been sent to our team; we’ll be in touch as soon as possible using your preferred mode of contact. In the meantime, here’s some things you can do to start your Shared Reading story.

1 – Visit a group

If you aren’t an existing group member or haven’t dropped into a session yet; before training, we ask volunteers to attend an open community Shared Reading group. Groups are always free to attend and there is no need to book. Find your closest group here.

You can also get an idea of how a group works with this group snapshot video:

2 – Complete our application form

If you’ve already visited a Shared Reading group and are interested in training to become a volunteer Reader Leader, we’ll ask you to complete our application form. One of the team will email this to you, but you can also download it here if you want to make a start.